Updated 4:00 am, Sunday, June 14, 2015

The case of a woman who was charged in connection with a high speed chase headed the wrong way on U.S. 10 has been bound over to the circuit court.

Leslie Ann Willford, 44, whose file lists a Midland address, faces one count of fourth-degree fleeing and eluding as well as a fourth habitual offender status. The charge is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison, and the habitual status raises the maximum penalty to 15 years in prison.

Willford remains free on a $75,000 personal recognizance bond, allowing her to attend a substance abuse treatment center as long as she follows the center’s rules.

Midland County District Court Judge Michael D. Carpenter continued the bond during a court date set for a preliminary hearing in the case on June 2. Willford, represented by attorney Ken Malkin of Bay City, waived that hearing.

Willford is charged in connection with a police pursuit that occurred at 2:16 a.m. on April 7, when a Midland County sheriff’s deputy saw a vehicle driving under the posted speed limit on M-20.

The registered owner of the vehicle was wanted on a Gladwin County warrant for failing to appear in court, with a $100,000 bond.

When the deputy activated his cruiser lights, the driver pulled the Dodge Avenger to the shoulder, where he saw her flash a smile in the side mirror before taking off.

The pursuit headed east on M-20, north on Meridian Road, through the blinking red light at Saginaw Road and onto U.S. 10, heading the wrong way in the highway’s eastbound lanes.

Deputies terminated the pursuit when the driver entered the highway going the wrong direction, and noted traffic was light during the pursuit.

The pursuit was resumed when the suspect used an emergency turnaround in the area of M-18. The suspect exited the highway onto Coleman Road, and the pursuit was terminated at the Gladwin County line.

The car was found abandoned in a driveway by a Gladwin resident who reported it just after 7 a.m.

An affidavit in the court file states Willford was arrested on April 21 in Gladwin County, and that the deputy involved in the pursuit suspected she had been at the Soaring Eagle Casino on the night of the chase.

No court dates have been set for the case.

Man sentenced in connection with store break-in

A 55-year-old Homer Township man has been sentenced in connection with an early morning break-in at the Gordonville Grocery.

Lawrence George Pugh recently was sentenced on charges of breaking and entering a building with the intent to steal and possession of burglars tools.

Midland County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Beale granted a sentence delay in the case. Terms include that Pugh must attend a substance abuse treatment program and be employed 30 hours per week. He is to pay $119.28 in restitution, as well as $1,000 in fines and costs.

Pugh was arrested after Midland County sheriff’s deputies were called to the store, at 1563 S. Meridian Road, on Jan. 17. Video surveillance showed a suspect forcing the door open, walking into the store and grabbing what appeared to be a bottle of liquor about 5:30 a.m. that day.

Another employee reviewed the surveillance video and was able to identify the suspect.

When deputies spoke to the suspect, he pulled the liquor bottle out from behind pillows on a couch and admitted to stealing it. He denied forcing the door open. The alcohol, valued at $20, was recovered.